Ethiopia has declared an Egyptian diplomatic staff member persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 48 hours.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally notified the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa that Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman had been declared persona non grata, according to a ministry notification published by the state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) on Thursday.
The ministry said the decision was made under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which governs diplomatic relations between states.
It did not give a reason for the expulsion.
The ministry said Soliman is required to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours of the notification.
The move comes as Ethiopia’s relations with neighbouring Eritrea have sharply deteriorated amid renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia.
On Thursday, Ethiopia announced that it would close its embassy in Eritrea and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata, giving them 48 hours to leave the country. Addis Ababa accused the diplomats of engaging in activities that posed a direct threat to Ethiopia’s national security.
Eritrea subsequently said it would sever diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, describing the decision as a reciprocal response to the expulsion of its diplomats.
AU calls for restraint
The African Union Commission has called on Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through diplomatic channels and peaceful dialogue.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the commission said it was following the heightened tensions between the three countries with concern.
It urged the three governments to avoid actions or statements that could further escalate tensions and undermine regional peace and stability.
The AU also stressed the importance of maintaining channels of communication and said it was ready to support efforts aimed at de-escalation, dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the differences.
The latest developments come amid renewed fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, where federal forces have been battling armed opposition groups.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting an opposition alliance involved in the fighting. The three countries have denied the allegations.
Relations between Ethiopia and Egypt have also been strained by a long-running dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia built on the Blue Nile. Egypt has expressed concerns about the dam’s impact on downstream water supplies, while Ethiopia says the project is intended to generate electricity and support its economic development.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry had not immediately commented on the expulsion.
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